A GROUP who has been supporting Archie and his family say there needs to be a “reform of the system” after the 12-year-olds death yesterday.

Archie Battersbee, from Southend, died at 12:15pm yesterday after his life-support was withdrawn.

The 12-year-old has been in a coma since he was found unconscious by his mother in April and was being kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments.

READ MORE >> Archie Battersbee’s family say he has died after his life support was withdrawn

Doctors treating the schoolboy for the last four months declared Archie to be “brain-stem dead”, but his family wanted to continue his life support treatment in the hope he would recover.

In that time, Archie’s parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, had fought a long-running legal battle over the withdrawal of treatment.

The Christian Legal Centre had been supporting the family’s case throughout.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said there needs to be a “urgent review and reform of the system”.

She said: “Our thoughts, prayers and support are with Archie’s family at this tragic moment.

“We will continue to support the family, as we have done throughout, ever since they came to us after being issued with last-minute legal proceedings to remove life support from Archie.

“We are thankful for the widespread public support for Archie and his family. It has been a privilege to stand alongside them.

“The events of the last few weeks raise many significant issues including questions of how death is defined, how those decisions are made and the place of the family.

“No-one wants to see other families experience what they have been through.

“We need to see urgent review and reform of the system.”